Bolsonaro Administration Believes To Have a Majority to Approve Reforms in Senate

The strategy begins to be designed on the basis that the government will have in the Federal Senate. In the accounts of the Civil House Chief Minister, Onyx Lorenzoni, the Administration have will support to pass the reform agenda described in the presidential message to Congress, he brought Fev. 4th to Parliament.

“We have already reached a sufficient number to transform Brazil,” said the minister referring to the sum of votes obtained by the candidates for the presidency of the Senate most voted in the elections of Saturday, Jan. 2nd: Davi Alcolumbre, Espiridião Amin, and Angelo Coronel.

Alcolumbre received 42 votes, the second place got 13 and the third, eight. The total adds 63 votes, nine above the quorum to approve constitutional amendments such as the reform of Social Security, called in the presidential message of “new Social Security”, and the package of laws to combat organized crime launched today by the Minister of Justice and Security Public, Sergio Moro.

The Senate’s accession to the government’s agenda may vary according to the position of the MDB, whose main lead, Senator Renan Calheiros, was defeated with the victory of Alcolumbre.

The party faced split election. Meeting last Thursday, Jan. 31st counted that seven senators supported Renan and five others preferred Senator Simone Tebet (MS) – who also has the support of Jarbas Vasconcelos, who was absent from the meeting.

The defeat of the MDB excluded the party from the composition of the Senate Steering Committee, to be elected on Wednesday (6). “President [Davi Alcolumbre] had to commit to making room for PSD and PSDB, first-timers,” said Simone Tebet.

Without the posts of the Bureau (presidency, vice-presidencies, secretaries, and substitutions), in dispute for the largest number of parties represented in the Senate, the MDB will look at the chairmanship of the committees where projects are carried out before the plenary vote. The most coveted board is the Commission on Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship, the first to examine the proposals, including assessing the legality of the proposal to continue.

Simone Tebet argues that the chair of the committee should not be occupied by a senator who supported Renan Calheiros. “Let’s face it, the Commission on Constitution, Justice presidency cannot stay with the defeated MDB group,” he told reporters before recommending “judgment” to the party. “If they go into confrontation with this Board of Directors they will have difficulty. We can not forget that proportionality has already been broken. ”

Senate party leader Eduardo Braga (AM), close to Renan Calheiros, disagrees with the view of Simone Tebet. “The MDB, as always, defends proportionality as a criterion of equity in the Senate of the Republic. I told that to Senator David [Alcolumbre] before the end of the election and to [Senator] Tasso Jereissati [PSDB] and then we scheduled talk for tomorrow. ”

After the end of the election for the Senate, Eduardo Braga tries a conciliatory position and does not threaten to fight proposals of interest of the federal government. “Our position is to have a constructive agenda for Brazil. There is a willingness in the Brazilian Congress to work. We want Brazil to work. It is the opinion of all MDB senators that we will not stay above national issues.”

In addition to internal party disputes and the distribution of seats, the Senate environment may still suffer from the aftermath of the tumultuous election on Saturday. The president of the House informed that he has already appointed to Roberto Rocha (PSDB) the determination regarding the annulled election because of the presentation of an additional vote in the urn.